Hamlin showing grows with drilling (November 16, 2005)

A copper-gold showing in the Shebandowan volcanic belt west of Thunder Bay is proving to be a long zone of mineralization after drilling by partners Mega Uranium (MGA-V) and East-West Resources (EWR-V).

Recent trenching at the Hamlin property, on the southern boundary of Moss Twp. about 110 km west of Thunder Bay, had revealed a 200-metre-long copper-gold occurrence in brecciated rhyolite, where summer geophysical surveys had indicated coincident chargeable and conductive bodies. Induced polarization surveys had found a zone of low resistivity with a strike length of 2 km.

Further trenching along the strike of the anomaly extended the surface showing to 800 metres, in rhyolite showing pyrite, chlorite, magnetite and potassium feldspar as alteration minerals. Copper grades in four trenches ran from a fraction of a per cent to 7%. Gold grades mainly ranged between 0.01 and 0.5 gram and silver grades mainly between 1 and 20 grams per tonne, but locally were higher.

Visible molybdenite in the samples — unusual in volcanogenic massive sulphide settings — made the partners assay for molybdenum as well, and samples locally showed up to 0.16% molybdenum, though most averaged below 0.01%. The molybdenite, along with the potassic alteration, has been interpreted as a late-stage pulse of mineralization from nearby intrusive rocks, superimposed on an earlier copper-gold-silver assemblage in the feeder zone of an exhalative vent.

Subsequent drilling, to vertical depths of 151 and 176 metres below the surface showing, intersected copper-gold-silver-molybdenum mineralization at substantially higher grades than the surface showings. In one hole, HAM05-33, intersected four zones of veinlet-textured to massive sulphide mineralization over core lengths of 1.5 to 5 metres. The best of the intersections was a 1.5-metre interval tha averaged 1.31% copper, 0.2 grams silver and 7 grams gold per tonne, with 0.02% molybdenum. The longest intersection averaged 0.82% copper, 5 grams silver and 0.13 gram gold per tonne, plus 0.02% molybdenum, over 5 metres.

Two other holes below the main showing intersected multiple zones of disseminated sulphides, over core lengths of 10 to 16 metres. Copper grades ranged from 0.3% to 0.5%, with silver grades of 1-3 grams and gold grades around 0.1 gram per tonne. Molybdenum grades were 0.01% to 0.02%.

More core from the holes is to be assayed and further drilling is planned along strike to the east.